Xiaomi is ready to unveil yet another smartphone globally and the rumor is, that the launch will be for India first. Xiaomi is currently one of the leading smartphone brands in India, this new flagship, according to the leaks, is code-named Beryllium. This phone is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, making it the third phone from the Chinese manufacturer to feature this chipset. The FCC filing of a similar device reveals that Xiaomi may call this the “Xiaomi Pocophone”.
Xiaomi is known for using code-names for its devices, for instance, the Xiaomi Mix 2s was code-named “Polaris” and the Mi 8 launched on 5th June in China, was code-named “dipper”.
Since Xiaomi has kept the device under wraps, not much is known about it but, the speculations suggest that the smartphone may have a notch display. Not unlike the current smartphone trend. The notch would give the phone at least an 18:9 aspect ratio. The specifications of this Xiaomi device were extracted from the firmware files of the MIUI Global ROM. There is a high likelihood, however, that the specifications may vary when the device is officially launched. Regardless, the following are the alleged specifications of Beryllium as found on a post on XDA Developers.
After the launch of a flagship under the Black Shark name, the Chinese manufacturer has trademarked yet another brand by the name “POCOPHONE”. This could mean that Beryllium may launch under this brand name.
For the Indian customers looking forward to a new flagship from Xiaomi, there is another piece of information which was extracted from the firmware code which may be found only in the Indian variant of the device. The following is a snippet which shows the same. This code checks certain build properties and would return a true value only if it is “India”.
Most of the information about the smartphone is speculated and there has been no official word from the company about its global or even Indian release date for that matter. But we will be keeping an eye out for any further details for the device so stay tuned.
Asus has launched the Zenfone 5Zin India at a starting price of Rs 29999. The new affordable flagship smartphone will be sold via Flipkart exclusively and go on sale on 9th July. It is worth noting that there is a flat Rs 3000 discount upon using an ICICI Credit/Debit card, bringing the price down to Rs 26999 for the base model. The Asus Zenfone 5Z enters India’s affordable flagship segment and will be up against the likes of OnePlus 6and Honor 10.
The Zenfone 5Z has all the makings of a flagship smartphone of 2018. The infamous notch also makes an appearance on the device. The notch, unlike the Xiaomi Mi 8, does not have any special sensors housed inside. The notch, however, allows the company to use a bigger display without drastically increasing the overall footprint of the smartphone.
The Asus Zenfone 5Z has a 6.2 inch Super IPS+ display with a 2246 x 1080 px resolution. This translates into a 19:9 aspect ratio, just like the OnePlus 6 which also has a 19:9 aspect ratio. With so many different aspect ratios prevalent in the market, it will become harder for content creators to cater to everyone’s needs.
Under the hood, the smartphone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. The flagship chipset is coupled with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. In India, the Zenfone 5Z will retail in three models, one with 64GB of storage, the second one with 128GB storage coupled with 6GB of RAM. The third variant has 256GB of onboard storage and 8GB of RAM. The onboard storage will be expandable up to 2TB via a microSD card which will use up the second SIM slot.
The fingerprint sensor is placed on the back of the device in a central location. The company also spoke about the ZenEar Pro earphones which will be included in the retail box. This is something most affordable flagship devices don’t include in their packaging and Asus has in fact, claimed that its earphones are of premium quality.
As is with a flagship device these days, the Asus Zenfone 5Z has a dual-camera setup on the back. It consists of a 12MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and 4-axis OIS. The secondary 8MP sensor has a wide-angle lens with a 120º field of view. This implementation is different from a lot of other flagship devices which usually have a telephoto or a monochrome lens. The OnePlus 6, for example, has two RGB sensors. The notch houses an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture and an 84º field of view.
The Zenfone 5Z has all the features of a flagship smartphone. Moreover, it severely undercuts the OnePlus 6 and Honor 10 in terms of pricing. The OnePlus 6 retails for Rs 34999 while the Honor 10 is priced at Rs 32999. At a starting price of Rs 29999, the Zenfone 5Z gives consumers a lot to think about before buying their next flagship smartphone.
The smartphone industry, every year, is dominated by a certain trend that is usually overdone by many OEMs. The launch of the iPhone 7 Plus propelled smartphone makers into launching dual-camera devices in late-2016. With the launch of the iPhone X, we are seeing an increasing number of smartphone vendors embracing the notch. However, Lenovo appears to be set on a less trodden path and go with a traditional design for its new flagship smartphone.
Lenovo’s Vice President Chang Cheng shared a teaser image of the company’s upcoming flagship device on his Weibo page. The company’s next flagship smartphone is expected to launch on June 14th. Accompanying the image was a poll, asking users to predict the screen-to-body ratio of the smartphone, with “95% or more” being the biggest option.
The front of the smartphone is visible in the image but, only partially. However, enough of the smartphone is visible to incur that the new device won’t have a notch like the iPhone X or Huawei P20 Pro. It appears that Lenovo has taken the Samsung route with its new flagship smartphone. The astonishing part is the lack of bezels on the side and the top of the smartphone. The top bezel is almost invisible, much like the chin of the iPhone X.
Bezels around the display, however, have a purpose and aren’t just there for OEMs to remove and show “progress.” The bezels house the earpiece, sensors and the front-facing camera. From the looks of it, Lenovo might have the gone the Xiaomi route with this by making the bottom bezel a bit thicker and house the front-facing camera in it. This could be the reason why the bottom bezel was not revealed in the teaser.
Mi MIX 2
The launch of the flagship device is still over a month away. The image does increase the interest in this smartphone especially considering the slew of smartphones that sport a notch these days.
LG is rebuilding its flagship smartphone for 2018. In fact, the company might completely ditch the G series. However, that does not mean that the company didn’t have a plan for the LG G7.
Last year LG launched the LG G6 with a year old processor. Though the smartphone had a lot of potentials, it didn’t do well in terms of business. Since LG doesn’t want to repeat the mistake, it is taking its time to shape up a new smartphone with exciting features and specifications.
An Israeli publication has posted a hands-on video of the alleged LG G7 that could have been.
Details of the LG G7
The LG G7 looks like a refined version of the LG V30+, which is the current flagship smartphone from LG. As the name suggests, this would have been the flagship device from the South Korean smartphone manufacturer. However, this concept didn’t make the cut thanks to LG’s revamped plans.
As it is clearly visible, LG directly copied the notch from Apple iPhone X and pasted on to the LG G7. However, like the Asus ZenFone 5, the notch might be used just for styling. The specifications of the smartphone are also on-par with the latest Android flagship smartphones of 2018.
The device has a 6 inch pOLED QHD+ 3,120×1,440px display with a notch. Under the hood, the smartphone was powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset with 4/6GB RAM and 64/128GB storage. Like every other LG smartphone, the G7 does have a micro SD card slot.
The smartphone has a dual 16 MP cameras at the back with f/1.6 aperture. However, the primary lens has OIS and the secondary lens didn’t. The front-facing 8 MP wide-angle sensor is hidden in the notch.
The LG V30+ has glass on the back
Finally, the phone has a 3000 mAh battery, which fast charging and wireless charging support. The OS was based on Android 8 Oreo with custom LG skin on the top.
Expected changes on the upcoming LG flagship
LG has given the code name for the flagship smartphone as Judy. The company has planned to go with MLCD+ display technology instead of OLED for added brightness and battery conservation. Similarly, the smartphone is also expected to offer premium DTS:X and boom box feature for the improved stereo experience. However, just like the LG G7, the Judy will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset.
Nokia has officially launched the Nokia 8 Sirocco edition at MWC 2018, which will be available from April 2018 for 749 Euros. In fact, this is the most premium smartphone that supports Android One Programme.
The smartphone is constructed from a single block of stainless steel like the Apple iPhone X. This makes the Nokia 8 Sirocco a strong smartphone, as stainless steel is 4 times harder than the Aluminium, with IP67 water and dust resistance certification. In fact, it measures 7.5 mm at its thickest point and 2 mm at it thinnest. This is the first Nokia Android smartphone to support wireless charging.
Specifications:
The Nokia 8 Sirocco has a 5.5 inch pOLED QHD+ 2560 x 1440 px display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The display offers a dual curved design with the vacuum moulding technology with Gorilla Glass 5. The device is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage.
The Nokia 8 Sirocco comes with dual primary camera setup, powered by Zeiss. The primary 12 MP sensor has an f/1.75 aperture with 1.4-micron pixel size and the secondary 13 MP telephoto lens has an f/2.6 aperture. The device has a 5 MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture and 1.micron pixel size. In fact, the primary camera setup found on the smartphone is exactly similar to the Nokia 7 Plus’s camera specifications.
The device does offer additional features like NFC, 4G VoLte, Bluetooth 5.0, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner. However, this is the first Nokia smartphone to remove the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ have been subjected to a lot of leaks over the past few weeks. However, it looks like Samsung will be launching another device at its Unpacked event on the 25th of February. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4, which was leaked recently, will be launched along with the Galaxy S9 and S9+.
The Galaxy Tab S3 was launched at MWC 2017 so, the Tab S4 launch does seem possible. The Galaxy Tab S3 was launched in India at a price of Rs. 47990, and the Tab S4 is expected to be priced similarly.
Specifications:
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 recently showed up on GeekBench the model number SM-T835. The last year’s Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 came with a model number SM-T835. Which suggests that this could indeed be the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab S4.
The Galaxy Tab S4 is expected to retain most of the aesthetics with a large 10.5 inch 2560 x 1600 pixel resolution Super AMOLED display. Under the hood, the device will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa-core chipset with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The tab is also expected to offer dedicated micro SD card slot, which can accept micro SD cards up to 256 GB.
In terms of camera optics, the tablet offers a 12 MP main camera and a 7 MP front-facing camera. As per the leaks, the video recording might be limited to 1080p on both the cameras. The tab S4 is also expected to feature next-generation S-Pen, to increase the productivity of the tablet.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 features a single SIM card slot with support for 4G LTE and VoLte, with voice and video calling capability. The device will be powered by Android 8 Oreo with Samsung’s own Experience UI with additional customisation for S-Pen.
Conclusion:
The company is expected to launch the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the Samsung Galaxy S9+ along with the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. The Galaxy Tab S4’s launch might be overshadowed by the launch of its flagship smartphones.
Google Pixel 2, the flagship smartphone from Google is one of the best photogenic smartphones in the market. In fact, It scores perfect 100 points on DxOMark. The Pixel 2 was originally launched for Rs. 61,000, which is now available for just Rs. 41,999. If you are looking for a smartphone with flagship level processing, faster OS updates and best-smartphone camera, then Pixel 2 is the to consider.
How to get Google Pixel 2 for Rs. 41,999?
Due to unimpressive sales number, the phones retail price was brought down to Rs. 49,999. Now, with flat Rs. 8,000 cashback from Citibank, the final price comes down to Rs. 41,999. The cashback is applicable to all the Citibank cardholders.
This offer is applicable only on Flipkart, which is the authorised online reseller for the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL.
Login to Flipkart, add Pixel 2 to card, check-out and make payment using Citibank card. This deal is applicable for EMI plan as well
One has to make a complete payment of Rs. 49,999. The cash back will be credited back to user’s account in next 90 days.
Specifications:
The Google Pixel 2 comes with a 5.0-inch 1080p pOLED display, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass on the top. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 2.4GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 540, 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB onboard storage. The two-tone colour of the phone is also reminiscent of the original Pixel from 2016.
The two-tone colour of the phone is also reminiscent of the original Pixel from 2016, which runs on Android Oreo 8.1. As is with every Google phone, the new Pixel 2 will be first in line to receive Android P update in 2018. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device but, this time around the “glass window” is smaller.
This year, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL use a technology called “dual-pixel” which divides every pixel into two. Google has decided to go for a single camera setup similar to last year’s Pixel phones. The rear-facing camera is a 12.2 MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and 1.4 micron pixel size. On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/2.4 aperture.
Google has introduced new features in the camera department like the addition of AR. You’ll be able to add 3D characters and emoji into photos and videos and see them move around as you’re capturing the scene. That includes things like a sleepy coffee cup, but also some recognisable characters.
The under-the-display fingerprint scanner is now a real thing, thanks to the Vivo X20 Plus UD. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 was widely expected to be the first-ever device with this technology. However, for some reasons only known to Samsung, that did not happen. A few days ago, it was rumoured that the Galaxy Note9 will finally implement this technology. However, according to recent rumours, Samsung has decided not to implement this technology.
The report claims Samsung has stopped working on this technology for an unknown reason. Therefore, the Korean tech giant will stick with the rear-mounted scanner like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Theoretically, to implement this technology the device must have OLED display (doesn’t work on IPS LCD) with a capacitive touchscreen. The scanner sits behind the display. (accesses fingerprint through a semi-transparent layer).
Possible reason:
Samsung might go with the Quantum-dot display technology instead of OLED, which makes it impossible to implement this technology. Which might have made an exclusive deal with Vivo that prevents other smartphone manufacturers to implement this technology.
The technical difficulties in the manufacturing these chips might be it. An earlier report claimed that Samsung didn’t want to rely on Synaptics and wanted the in-screen fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy Note9 to be based on its own technology. However, it might have run into some trouble which made it drop the technology altogether.
Cumbersome Placement of the Fingerprint sensor placement on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8
Another reason for this decision could be Apple. Apple has already confirmed that it believes Face ID is the future. In order to compete with Apple and it face ID tech, Samsung could implement better facial/iris recognition in the Galaxy Note9.
Conclusion:
A recent report, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will feature the under-the-display fingerprint scanner. Now, a new report completely disapproves the last report. Finally, Samsung might implement this feature on Samsung Galaxy S X or Samsung Galaxy Note X.
Ever since the OnePlus One was launched back in 2014, the Chinese smartphone maker’s devices have been considered to be the flagship killers. Year after year, the company has launched Android phones with high-end specifications at nearly half the price of devices by other tier brands. While 2017 saw a lot of flagship devices being launched under Rs. 40000 bracket, the OnePlus 5 and then the OnePlus 5T priced at Rs. 32999 for the 64GB variant remained a fan favourite.
However, Honor has recently announced the price of its Honor View10, the Kirin 970-powered affordable flagship phone. At a price of Rs. 29,999 the Honor View10 has a high-end chipset, dual cameras, nearly bezel-less display and an emphasis on AI. All of that, and it is still cheaper than the OnePlus 5T. So, does the Honor View10 take the crown of the best affordable flagship? Let’s find out:
Design
Both the OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 share a similar design language. Both the devices sport a tall display, thin bezels and dual-cameras at the back. The dual-cameras on both the devices protrude a little which means that a case might be necessary to protect the camera glass. The OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 have matte finishes to the back which means the devices can be a bit slippery but, both the companies provide a clear case inside the box.
OnePlus 5T
Display
The OnePlus 5T is a refreshed variant of the OnePlus 5 with a modern 18:9 aspect ratio and thin bezels. The Honor View10 also has thin bezels and a tall display and even manages to retain the front-facing fingerprint sensor, something that the OnePlus 5T had to give up for smaller bezels. Both the devices have a resolution of 2160 x 1080 px, however, while the Honor View10 has an IPS LCD panel, the OnePlus 5T has an Optic AMOLED panel.
Software
After photos and sound, software is the most subjective aspect of a smartphone. Just like some people prefer bass-heavy sound over a flat soundstage, some people prefer the bells and whistles of a custom skin over stock Android OS. There is no denying that the OnePlus 5T will always be ahead when it comes to software updates but, EMUI on the Honor View10 has come a long way since its inception as well. The Honor View10 has a slight advantage thanks to the NPU present in the Kirin 970 chipset. Honor has been able to add some nifty features that take full advantage of AI. For example, thanks to Honor View10’s facial recognition software, the phone only displays a preview of notifications on the lock screen only when it recognises the face, otherwise, the notifications remain hidden.
This is just a small example of what implementation of AI does to the overall user experience. However, if you are a stock Android enthusiast then the OnePlus 5T is ideal for you.
Performance
Honor View10
Both the devices are powered by two flagship chipsets. The OnePlus 5T has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 6 or 8GB of RAM along with 64GB or 128GB of storage. The Honor View10 has the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The storage on the Honor View10 can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card while the OnePlus 5T doesn’t provide an option for expanding the onboard storage.
Both the devices run day-to-day tasks with ease and even high-end gaming is buttery smooth on either device. If you want a device for heaving gaming, then neither of the phones will disappoint your gaming needs. Thanks to the tall displays on both the devices, multitasking is a joy and the snappy processors made sure both the devices held up well in extreme multitasking situations.
Camera
Photographs are extremely subjective, and both the devices have a dual camera setup at the back albeit, different implementations. The OnePlus 5T, unlike its predecessor, has a 16MP and 20MP setup with an f/1.7 aperture which OnePlus claims, will result in better low-light photographs. The Honor View10 has a 16MP RGB sensor and a 20MP Monochrome sensor with both having an f/1.8 aperture. Here are a few camera samples of both the devices:
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
OnePlus 5T
Honor View10
Honor View10
Honor View10
Honor View10
Specifications
OnePlus 5T
Honor View10
Price
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At the end of the day, the OnePlus 5T and Honor View10 are two great phones with best in class specifications and an affordable price tag. Honor seems to have struck gold with its pricing and the real question here is whether stock Android is worth the extra money or not. If yes, then the OnePlus 5T should be your choice. But, if you are on a tight budget, the Honor View10 has a lot more to offer in terms of user experience and will cost less than the OnePlus 5T.
In the tech world, consumers recognise a brand through years of sequential sub-brand products. Companies like Samsung and Apple have consistently launched smartphones in their ‘Galaxy’ and ‘iPhone’ lineup. LG, however, might be in the works of shaking things up a bit with its upcoming LG G7 (tentatively named) flagship smartphone.
LG G6
An anonymous company official has conceded that the company is planning to rebrand its flagship ‘G’ lineup with the upcoming device expected to be launched at MWC 2018.
LG is preparing a new brand strategy for the G series in the first half of the year. Numbering the phone with a two-digit number and rebranding the phone with a new name are some of the options on the table.
This isn’t the first time that LG is renaming a phone from the company’s lineup. In 2012, LG launched the Optimus G and by 2013, just one year from the original launch, the company had decided to remove the ‘Optimus’ nomenclature and launched the subsequent smartphone with the ‘LG G2’ moniker. Similarly, the short-lived ‘Vu’ series was transformed into the ‘V’ series which was launched back in 2015.
Another company official from LG, while talking about the decision of rebranding, claimed that this decision on the cards:
Rebranding flagship models is nothing new, and Samsung and Apple have done so for their own flagships.
LG G2
LG flagship phones have historically flown under the radar thanks to the popularity of the Samsung Galaxy ‘S’ lineup and Apple iPhones. LG is also known to not invest too much in its smartphones’ marketing, where Samsung and Apple rule the roost. However, while Apple and Samsung only changed the numbering of their phone lineup, simply jumping from iPhone 8 to iPhone X, and Samsung skipped the Note 6 to jump to Note 7, LG’s change seems to be more core level based. The company needs to create strength around its flagship phones and by choosing a newer name that may help the brand connect with consumer better is what LG probably needs. The current lineup of phones from the company, especially flagships have suffered from poor recall value of the brand. LG may be starting a new marketing strategy, or simply making the name more approachable.
While the next flagship phone from LG, presumed to be the LG G7 for now, is just around the corner, it will be followed up by the mega launch of the Galaxy S9 and the S9+ and LG might need an extremely sound strategy to stand out during the new launches. The LG G7 is expected to launch with updated specifications and compete with the likes of the Galaxy S9 in the early part of 2018.
The LG G7 is expected to maintain the 18:9 aspect ratio and presumably cut down on bezels compared to its older sibling, the LG G6. Unlike 2016, where the LG G6 was launched with the Snapdragon 821 instead of the Snapdragon 835, the LG G7 is expected to be launched with the Snapdragon 845, same as the Galaxy S9 and S9+. LG proved with the V30 that it can produce smartphones with great cameras and the G7 is expected to further improve on that aspect. 2018 will also see 6GB of RAM becoming the norm in Android phones and the LG G7 could be a part of the clan and launch with at least 6GB of RAM.
It is no secret that Samsung is working on a smartphone with a foldable display which it will launch in 2017. The Galaxy X is the name chosen for this phone, which will juggle between a large and a small display unit without any major damage to the smartphone mechanism.
Manufacturing as a whole tends to stay away from moving parts in mobile handsets and portable devices. The more you knock these around the more prone to damage they become. Even most modern laptop hinges succumb to the weight of opening and closing several times a day. Samsung, however, claims that their new technology will not only revolutionize the smartphone segment but all segments on the way up to foldable television display that could be tucked away while not in use.
Samsung is expected to launch 5 handsets next year which will tie in with their flagship segment. The Galaxy S8 and S8 Edge, the Galaxy Note 7 and Note 7 Edge and the Galaxy X which will give the edge a new name.
Why fold a smartphone you would ask? A foldable display could mean the ability to carry a large phone/tablet without needing a lot of room to. The large screen would fold and fit in the pocket easily and will also remove the need for a secondary “tablet”.
While Samsung is always switching up their launch times, the exact launch period of the “Galaxy X” is unknown. But if it does launch in 2017, the industry may soon rush to catch up. On the flipside it could end up being one of these: and literally no one will care.
The Yu Yutopia as a handset from the company YU was much awaited, and there is an excellent reason for that. The company tried to create a lot of hype for the product, and everyone had high expectations from the Yutopia.
Does the Yu Yutopia live up to expectations, or does it end up being an expensive handset with too much hype. Let’s find out.
Build Quality and Design
The YU Yutopia is not the prettiest handset out there. In fact out of all the possible purchases that you can make in this price bracket, the YU Yutopia is the least inviting as far as design is concerned.
The design is based on the basic design of their Yuphoria/Yunique handset which is a big let down from an aesthetics point of view. It does have a lot of rounded edges that from an in-hands perspective are really comfortable.
Build Quality otherwise is great, aircraft grade aluminium, which means we get strength while keeping the overall weight of the Yutopia low at 155 grams. The 7.2 mm thickness is also appealing from a build point of view. The phone is pretty slim yet robust and lightweight. The front glass is now a CORNING CONCORE GLASS that is pre-fused with the display made by Sharp, and the capability of Concore is considered the same as Gorilla Glass 3.
The YU Yutopia will handle drops and dings with ease since the phone is metal, it will get dents and may get scratched too, but will not break or shatter easily.
With no removable back, Yu managed to stuff the cards in a ridiculously sized card tray. This tray is inconvenient and impractical, over time you swap memory cards your network SIM card comes out as well.
Hardware
The specs of the Yutopia are the strongest point for the device. The Yutopia beats all in the segment with hardware on paper; you have an SD810 chipset packed in with a 2K QHD display, alongside an amazing 21 MP camera. 32 GIGS of onboard storage and massive 4 GB of RAM.
Specification
YU Yutopia
Display
5.2 -inch Sharp WQHD IPS display, 2K
Resolution
2560×1440 pixels, 567 Ppi
Chipset
64 bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
CPU
2.0 GHz Octa-core
GPU
Adreno 430
RAM
4 GB
Front Camera
8 MP FF
Rear Camera
21MP AF camera, 4K video recording
Storage
32 GB
Expandability
Using Micro SD card 128 GB
Battery
3,000 mAh battery with 2.0 Quick Charge
Operating System
Android Lollipop 5.1 with Cyanogen OS 12.1
Price
Rs. 24,999
Performance and Gaming
Whatever the specs on paper, Yu may have underclocked the chipset and the hardware quite a lot. Performance is mediocre, to say the least, and benchmarks tend to underwhelming results. Running Cyanogen helps the YUtopia get past day to day activities with ease and the 4GB of RAM is more than ample for the daily process.
However tests and benchmarks speak a different language, and in their language, the Yutopia performs just about average.
Gaming is pretty good, but when compared to devices with a full HD display seems to be a little laggy. The 2k display seems to be causing the slowdown of the processing power, letting the phone get its primary workload performance only at average quality.
YU has kept its temperatures down despite using an SD 810 chipset that only goes to show that an OS feature governs the chipset, hence causing a slowdown in performance.
The great thing about the YU Yutopia running Cyanogen, however, is the fact that once can quickly install a speed governor and overclock the handset. Rooting is fairly easy and is done by a single third party app.
Camera and Multimedia
The 21 MP camera with a Sony sensor is the big highlight of the YUtopia, with images coming out crisp and full of juicy megapixels, no one will complain. The camera is quick to boot and click and focuses easily too.
The app is a simply the Cyanogen camera app with the usual features, including filters and slow mo video. The more you play with it, the more pictures you will click. Close up shots are not that crisp, and the camera does not focus up close.
4k / UHD content will playback easily on the handset. However, it will be downscaled to fit the screen resolution. The speaker is loud and will make you happy with the outcome. Overall the Yutopia serves well as a multimedia and entertainment device, letting down on gameplay graphics and overall performance. Video playback and audio is great.
Phone, Networks and Battery
The network runs smooth and supports all the main Indian bands including those for LTE. 4G was tested on Airtel in New Delhi, and speeds of up to 50Mbps were achieved. With the situation of networks in the country fairly weak, it ‘s hard to point to either the network provider or the manufacturer for network issues. The Yutopia managed to get the same amount of Signal -DB when compared to popular products from the likes of Motorola, Samsung and even on the iPhone.
The lack of separate trays makes the swapping of SIM cards, or memory cards a tedious process, and hopefully, Yu will not repeat the mistake again.
Battery life is better than expected, with the processor governed and the heat under control, the battery life is much better in this case, but since the reports are erratic, it is unclear as to how many people will have a consistent experience.
Talk Time: 6 hours
Internet Browsing: 6-8 hours
Gaming: 4 Hours
Video: 5- 6 Hours
Cyanogen and Other Features
The YU Yutopia features excellent hardware on paper and great software too. A lot of people like Cyanogen, and it works well for YU. The remanufactured build of Android works great and for the tweak hurry nerd is a playground in paradise. There are some issues, and they would warrant the use of stock Android to Cyanogen.
Cyanogen was one of the quickest to jump to the latest version of Android. That is no longer the case, with more than half a year gone by, Cyanogen still rocks 5.1.1 hence YUtopia does the same. While a marshmallow build is, supposedly, “around the corner” the high wait time is no longer fun. Cyanogen has a significant and large support community of which YU users enjoy the spoils.
The UI is fast and responsive, highly customizable and intuitive to the needs of the user. Allowing users to skin various elements of the OS. You can also add and remove tweaks to enhance the OS.
The fingerprint scanner has received many complaints, and it requires the same finger to be scanned from various angles many times to get the issue resolved. It does work but misses the unlock target at times, frustrating the user.
Conclusion
While YU is looking at a lot of firsts with the YUtopia, the phone may not be “all that”. It has fantastic specs, and an excellent build quality, a great OS experience, and a good camera. However, it is priced higher than one would want to spend for a category two phone. Hardware wise the price matches, things like the camera and the display itself warrant the price.
Performance is on the low side, and honestly, the phone is excellent on paper but is not a good looking phone in the hand. While looks may be perceived differently by each user, the general look of the phone is bland, and the design refuses to find a balance between a rough exterior look and a polished premium look.
There are many smartphone options, in the price bracket, that offer an excellent package, but none that give everything that is available in this phone. For the pure hardware enthusiast, this is a gem of a phone. For those looking to flaunt may have to look elsewhere, as the YUtopia is an underdog when it comes to looks.
As far as the price is concerned, the company is expected to launch a slightly cheaper variant of the YUtopia around the 16-17 thousand rupee mark to compete with the likes of the One Plus X, later this year.
The included Marley earphones are a great addon, but are very generic earphones, which sound just “ok”. Price could have been lowered by simply including cheap earphones, or no earphones at all.
LG’s next flagship smartphone is just around the corner. The company will be unveiling the device at the MWC on the 21st of February. As it happens with every major flagship (and non-flagship) devices, rumors and speculations are always at its highest when nearing the launch date. We already know a lot about the G5, which we’ll get to in a bit. But this new rumor is sure to take your fancy.
A rumor straight out of Korea suggests that the LG G5 may come with a ‘modular’ design. Now before you thing of Google’s Proje ARA here, the G5 is going full modular, and you won’t be able to replace parts as you please. The G5’s modular nature is more to do with design rather than anything else. The design and the ability to still preserve the removable battery is LG’s top priority.
The G5’s modular design, according to rumors, involves a detachable bottom, which will reveal the battery and allow it to simply slide in and out. Not only does this design help in making a thinner looking device, but it also gives easy access to the removable battery. This would put some of the hardware to be mounted on detachable connectors as well, like the speaker, USB port, microphone, among other things.
Other than this latest rumor, what we know about the flagship is that it is rumoured to come equipped with a 5.3-inch QHD display, sporting a Snapdragon 820 processor and 3GB of RAM with 32GB of internal storage. It’s also suggested that LG G5 might include an eye scanner, USB-C connectivity and a fingerprint sensor. Speculation also points to a 21-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front-facing sensor.
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the launch of HTC’s next flagship device. The HTC One M10 has been floating between CES and MWC for a while. HTC is still enjoying the launch of the One A9, but fans have already been asking about the One M10, and HTC is likely to reveal the device within the first quarter. Here’s everything we know about the flagship device so far.
Display
Being a successor to the One M9, the HTC One M10 will look to improve on specs wherever it can. The new iteration is said to come with a 5.5-inch QHD display. You can expect some bright, crisp colours under a Gorilla Glass 4 protection.
HTC One M9+
Design
The design of the One M10 is expected to be slimmer and sharper than its predecessor. To help with that, the device will carry the all-metal, unibody form factor associated with HTC flagships, along with curved edges and bezels to give it an attractive look.
Camera
The One M9 had 20 MP primary camera that proved a little underwhelming, especially in comparison to the sharper, brighter images seen in Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and LG’s G4. HTC is going to have to make some serious improvements in the camera department if it wants to be a killer device. Rumours suggest that the One M10 will sport a bigger 27 MP camera with face detection autofocus technology.
The front camera also boasts of high megapixels for selfie lovers. However, these rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt. It is also possible that HTC will continue with a 20 MP camera and will rather focus on improving the quality of images.
HTC One M10 Concept
Processor
HTC is perhaps waiting till the end of March to release the One M10 so that it can release its device with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset under the hood. You may remember that Samsung has claimed exclusivity of the new chipset for the first three months.
If HTC wants to come out with a powerful new flagship, then it will need to sport a powerful new chip to compete with the likes of the upcoming Galaxy S7 and Xiaomi Mi 5 devices, to name a few. Apart from the Snapdragon 820 chip, the One M10 will also use a graphics card that will improve graphic quality of images for visually appealing gaming experience,
Other Features
One of the highlights of the upcoming flagship is that it will feature a Touch ID fingerprint scanner for maximum security for the device. Other than that, the One M10 will likely sport 4 GB of RAM with 16 GB and 32 GB internal storage variants. The device is also rumoured to feature a battery capacity of 3,500mAh. The device will come pre-installed with Android 6.1, which is another good piece if information.
The above mentioned specs are merely a roundup of all the rumours that have been floating around. Over the next few weeks, you can expect more details to emerge as well as some confirmation for the existing rumours and some images of the device as well. Follow this space for more on HTC’s upcoming flagship smartphone.
it looks like some rumours about LG’s upcoming flagship device, G5, are indeed true. One of the rumours that had been making the rounds was that the LG G5 will sport a dual camera set-up at the back – 16 MP and 8 MP. A new leaked image shared by a Reddit user confirms this rumour. The image reveals the devices back, showing two cameras fitted under a black panel.
The Redditor also revealed some specs as well. The device will sport a 5.3-inch Quad HD display, powered by the new Snapdragon 820 SoC with 3 GB of RAM and an 8 MP front. Other specs include a full metal body, SIM and MicroSD slot, heart rate sensor that’s under the camera module, a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power button, a USB Type-C port, bottom firing speaker and an IR blaster on top.
No word yet on when LG plans to launch the device. However, as Samsung has claimed exclusivity to the Snapdragon 820 chipset for the first three months, which likely means that any other device sporting the same will be launched only after March.
